Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Hospitals
March 2025 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) March 2025 meeting. Covers research and proposals related to reforming physician fee schedule updates and improving the accuracy of relative payment rates, reducing beneficiary cost-sharing for outpatient services at Critical Access Hospitals, Medicare insurance agents, Medigap, payment for ground ambulance services, home healthcare use among Medicare Advantage enrollees, and institutional special needs plans. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Additional links: Mandated Report: Payment for Ground Ambulance Services, Reducing Beneficiary Cost-Sharing for Outpatient Services at Critical Access Hospitals
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) March 2025 meeting. Covers research and proposals related to reforming physician fee schedule updates and improving the accuracy of relative payment rates, reducing beneficiary cost-sharing for outpatient services at Critical Access Hospitals, Medicare insurance agents, Medigap, payment for ground ambulance services, home healthcare use among Medicare Advantage enrollees, and institutional special needs plans. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Additional links: Mandated Report: Payment for Ground Ambulance Services, Reducing Beneficiary Cost-Sharing for Outpatient Services at Critical Access Hospitals
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Quality Improvement Workbook
Outlines seven steps of the quality improvement process. Offers interactive worksheets to help Critical Access Hospitals develop and support quality improvement goals and projects.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Quality Improvement Technical Assistance (RQITA) Resource Center
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Outlines seven steps of the quality improvement process. Offers interactive worksheets to help Critical Access Hospitals develop and support quality improvement goals and projects.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Quality Improvement Technical Assistance (RQITA) Resource Center
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Rural Hospital Experiences in the Colorado Hospital Transformation Program
Provides an overview of the Colorado Hospital Transformation Program (CO HTP), a 5-year program that ties Medicaid supplemental payments to hospitals' ability to meet performance targets through September 2026. Describes the experiences of three Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and explores how CO HTP impacts rural hospitals. Covers planning and community engagement, quality of care, and healthcare costs.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Provides an overview of the Colorado Hospital Transformation Program (CO HTP), a 5-year program that ties Medicaid supplemental payments to hospitals' ability to meet performance targets through September 2026. Describes the experiences of three Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and explores how CO HTP impacts rural hospitals. Covers planning and community engagement, quality of care, and healthcare costs.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Health Outside Hospital Walls
Outlines how Chadron Community Hospital and Health Services (CCHHS) in Chadron, Nebraska, is leveraging the changing healthcare environment to prioritize population health and fill needed service gaps within the community. As part of the focus on overall community health, CCHHS took leadership in an assisted living facility, funded a large scholarship fund to help cultivate a skilled local workforce, and assumed management of the community action agency.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Outlines how Chadron Community Hospital and Health Services (CCHHS) in Chadron, Nebraska, is leveraging the changing healthcare environment to prioritize population health and fill needed service gaps within the community. As part of the focus on overall community health, CCHHS took leadership in an assisted living facility, funded a large scholarship fund to help cultivate a skilled local workforce, and assumed management of the community action agency.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Special Report on the Financial Health of Pennsylvania Rural Hospitals, Fiscal Year 2023
Focuses on Pennsylvania general acute care hospitals located in rural counties. Features statistics on changes from FY 2020 to FY 2023, including closures, operating margins, utilization, uncompensated care, and negative or positive growth, with breakdowns by rural and urban areas.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council
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Focuses on Pennsylvania general acute care hospitals located in rural counties. Features statistics on changes from FY 2020 to FY 2023, including closures, operating margins, utilization, uncompensated care, and negative or positive growth, with breakdowns by rural and urban areas.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council
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Hawaii Community Health Needs Assessment: 2024 Update
Reports on health needs and health-related priorities for the state of Hawaii. Highlighted topics include financial security, food security, mental and behavioral health, housing, access to care, and more. Discusses rural-specific challenges throughout.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: Healthcare Association of Hawaii
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Reports on health needs and health-related priorities for the state of Hawaii. Highlighted topics include financial security, food security, mental and behavioral health, housing, access to care, and more. Discusses rural-specific challenges throughout.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: Healthcare Association of Hawaii
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Nebraska: Roadmap to Strong Rural Health Care
Provides information on sustaining rural hospitals and clinics, growing the rural healthcare workforce in Nebraska, improving access to long-term care, improving rural well-being, and preserving emergency medical services, among other topics related to rural healthcare in Nebraska.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Nebraska Hospital Association, Nebraska Rural Health Association
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Provides information on sustaining rural hospitals and clinics, growing the rural healthcare workforce in Nebraska, improving access to long-term care, improving rural well-being, and preserving emergency medical services, among other topics related to rural healthcare in Nebraska.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Nebraska Hospital Association, Nebraska Rural Health Association
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Key Facts About Hospitals
Presents information and data on hospitals and hospital spending. Covers national hospital spending, the hospital industry, use of hospital care, out-of-pocket spending and medical debt, hospital finances, and more. Includes a section on rural hospitals, which describes the prevalence of rural hospitals, rural hospital characteristics, discharges by payer, profit margins, and openings and closings of rural hospitals.
Author(s): Zachary Levinson, Scott Hulver, Jamie Godwin, Tricia Neuman
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Presents information and data on hospitals and hospital spending. Covers national hospital spending, the hospital industry, use of hospital care, out-of-pocket spending and medical debt, hospital finances, and more. Includes a section on rural hospitals, which describes the prevalence of rural hospitals, rural hospital characteristics, discharges by payer, profit margins, and openings and closings of rural hospitals.
Author(s): Zachary Levinson, Scott Hulver, Jamie Godwin, Tricia Neuman
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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The Growing Impact of Medicare Advantage on Rural Hospitals Across America
Examines the impact of Medicare Advantage (MA) on rural hospitals. Discusses payment and reimbursement, healthcare access, hospital finance and patient data, hospital case examples, and more.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Examines the impact of Medicare Advantage (MA) on rural hospitals. Discusses payment and reimbursement, healthcare access, hospital finance and patient data, hospital case examples, and more.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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2025 Stability of the Rural Health Safety Net: State and National Data Tables
Provides links to national and state data tables showing the financial impact of federal policies such as sequestration and bad debt reimbursement on rural hospital revenues, jobs, and gross domestic product. Presented at the February 2025 National Rural Health Association Policy Institute.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Provides links to national and state data tables showing the financial impact of federal policies such as sequestration and bad debt reimbursement on rural hospital revenues, jobs, and gross domestic product. Presented at the February 2025 National Rural Health Association Policy Institute.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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